Sheet material dispenser



Feb. 2, 1954 E F RH D 2,668,022

. SHEET MATERIAL DISPENSER Filed May 24, 1951- v INVEN TOR. Elmerffenry Fairfz'eld Patented Feb. 2, 1954 UNITED STATES OFFICE 7 2,668,022 SHEET. MATERIAL DISPENSER Elmer Henry Fairfield, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Application May 24, 1951", Serial No. 227,989

This invention relates to dispensers or holders for rolls of sheet material, such as toilet paper, paper towelling, and the like. 7 V j Holders for toilet paper in roll form new in common use usually comprise a spindle for carrying the roll and a bracket arranged to support the spindle and, roll in exposed position. There are several objectionable features inherent in such holders. One such feature is the unsightliness of the exposed roll, particularly in domestic use, Another feature is'the tendency of the roll to unwind beyond a desirable point when paper is being removed therefrom as well as the tendency of users to remove a large amount of unnecessary paper, particularly in public, commercial and industrial establishments. As a result, many such establishments employ a sheet-type pack of paper with a suitable dispenser therefor, despite the fact that the paper in roll form is less expensive and the servicing of holders therefor requires less effort and involves less wastage of paper. 1 7' It has heretofore been proposed to provide holders of closed type for toilet paperrolls as well as means for restraining the undesirable or,

tenance dimculties.

It is an object of this invention to provide a dispenser for rolls of sheet material, such holder being of the substantially closed type and having a pair of material dispensing lips located directly below the roll-containing portion of the holder, at least one of the lips being subjected to pressure to exert a mildly restraining action of the passage of material between the lips.

The invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which,

Figure l is a front elevation of a holder in accordance with the invention,

Figure 2 is a side elevation, and

Figure 3 is a side elevation, partly in section.

In the drawing, the holder shown is of the container type and includes a normally stationary open base portion 1 having a rear wall 2, which is adapted to be fixed to a wall or other support, end walls 3, top wall 4 and bottom wall 5. Aligned brackets 6 are mounted on the inner surfaces of end walls 3 to support the ends of a spindle I which is adapted to rotatably carry a roll of toilet paper 8 or the like in the usual manner.

A rod 9 has its ends journalled in the upper end portions of walls 3 rearwardly of brackets 6 and has a forwardly directed and depending U-shaped 3' Claims. (01. 242-1553) .ing ll.

portion l0 whichis curved to fit around and en gage the forwardly disposed surface of paper roll from approximately the top surface of the roll to ea-point below the axis of the roll, i. e., below .thebrackets 6. The portion ill is adapted to bear upon the forward surface of roll 8 under the action of its own Weight and to restrain and direct the paper as it is being fed therefrom.

u A closure II forthe holder comprises a curved forward wall I2, endwalls I3, and bottom wall -|4.- The. closure is pivotally secured to portion I by means of pins or rivets [5 extending through lower rearward portions l3.of wallsl3 and overlapping. portions of walls 3. Thus, the closure maybeswung downwardly to fully expose the interior of portion I; In the closed position of the closure, its walls'l3 and I4 may overlap walls 3 and 5 of portion I, as shown. The closure may be secured in closed position by means of a spring catch l6, carried by wall 4 and engageable with the upper edge portion ofwall l2 through open- It will be apparent that any suitable lockingv means for the-closure may be provided and it may be of key-controlled nature if desired. Itwill be apparent that the position of the pivotal mounting of the closure may, if desired, be changed'to the upper portions of the holder. A paper outlet slot I8 is provided in the bottom wall of the closure directly below the roll-containing portion'of the container; The slot I8 is located substantially midway between the rear wall 2 and forward limit of wall l2. The slot [8 has a stationary forward lip I9 which is constituted by a curved downward extension of wall l2 and a rearward lip 20 which is spring-pressed towards lip l9. As shown, lip 20 is carried by a rod 2! journalled in end walls It and a coil spring 22 is mounted on the rod to urge the lower edge of the lip into engagement with the lower edge portion of lip l9. Obviously, the tension of spring 22 may be varied as desired but in any case it is adapted to impose a very light forwardly directed pressure on the lip 20. It will also be observed that lip 20, 'as shown, is constituted by a fiat plate whereby only a minor edge portion thereof is pressed into engagement with lip IE or interposed paper.

In use, the paper roll i inserted in the holder in the manner illustrated and the free end of the paper web is guided through the lips I 9 and 20, to assume the position shown in Figure 3. In such position, it will be observed that the minor edge portion of lip 20 bears lightly on the Web and, while offering no noticeable resistance to passage of paper past the same, acts to restrain undesirable unwinding of the roll in response to a sharp pull on the web and unrestricted ejection of paper through the slot. In pract ce, therefore, only a desired amount of paper is withdrawn from the holder. Moreover, since the amount of paper withdrawn is directly proportional to the length of pulling stroke exerted on the web, the device acts to avoid profligate use of paper by users. It will also be observed that, since the exit slot 18 is directly below the paper roll, the web is led directly from the roll into engagement with the curved lip 19 and encounters no intervening barrier on which it might. become 5360identally torn or broken. 7

Preferably, the forward w'allTZ ofthe'closure is provided with an opening or -windw23, through which the paper roll may be viewed todetermine the need for replacement. Furthermore, should the paper web become broken inside the holder, the fingers of the user may be inserted through opening 23 to again feed the web through the slot I8.

The rod portion [0 acts as a guide for the-web being dispensed and also serves to prevent undesired unwinding or loosening of the roll. Preferably, the legs of portion l8 extend across opening 23, as shown in Figure 1, to restrain undesired tampering with the roll.

The holder may be constructed of light metal, plastic, or any other suitable material.

It will be obvious that various means, other than the spring 22, may be employed to urge the lip 20 under slight pressure towards lip I9 and thus impose a minor restraint on the paper passing therethrough. Thus, counterweight or like means may be employed.

I claim:

1. A toilet paper dispenser comprising an open base member having top, bottom, side and rear walls, a closure for said member having top, bottom, side and front walls, said closure being hingedly mounted. on said base member, brackets mounted on the side walls of said base member edge of said slot and projecting 'downwardlyt therefrom, said second lip being spring-pressed towards said first lip.

2. In a toilet paper dispenser having a base member with top, bottom, side and rear walls, a closure hingedly secured to the base member and having top, bottom, side and front walls, and brackets mounted on the side walls of the base member for supporting a toilet paper roll, said bottom wall of the closure having a paper outlet slot therein, a curved lip projecting downwardly from the forward edge of the slot, a flat .lip hinged to the rear edge of the slot, and a spring urging the free edge of said flat lip into en a ement with said curved lip.

3. A toilet paper dispenser comprising an open *base member having top, bottom, side and rear walls, a closure-or said member having top,

bottom, side and front walls, said closure being hingedly mounted on said base member, brackets mounted on the side walls of said base memher for supporting a toilet paper roll, .saidzibottom wall of the closure having a slot therein for exit of a web of paper therethrough, a lip pm jecting downwardly from the forward edge of said slot, and a second lip mounted 'on the rear side of said slot and projecting downwardly there from, said second lip being resiliently urged towards said first lip.

ELMIER HENRY FAIRFIELD.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 294,312 Earl Feb, 26, 1884 883,538 Graser Mar.-31, 1908 1,423,336 Korittke July 18, 1922 1,718,143 Hancock June 18,1929 2,047,255 Colburn July 14, 1936 2,253,744 Witt Aug. 26, 1941 2,276,414 Morehouse et al. Mar. 17, 1942 2,381,229 Shalhaub Aug. 7, 1945 2,487,763 Patterson Nov. 8, 1949 2,500,254 Lankford Mar. 14, 1950 "FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 1,800 Great Britain May 9, 1877 413,664 France May 31,1910 

